The United States president has become the first world leader to be hosted by the British royal family at a second state visit.
Surrounded by high-level politicians, a media mogul, tech giants and athletes, the grandeur-loving Donald Trump was treated to a glowing spectacle at a banquet at Windsor Castle.
Beefeaters in traditional red uniforms and ruff collars lined the entrance to St George’s Hall on Wednesday night as the best of British royal finery was rolled out for the banquet.
Inside, the 50-metre-long grand Waterloo Table was set with 1,462 pieces of silver that sparkled in the light from 139 candles.
Seasonal flower arrangements, hand-picked from the castle grounds only hours before, made the hall smell like an autumnal garden.
King Charles and Mr Trump walked side by side to enter the hall, followed by Queen Camilla and Melania Trump.
About 100 staff members were on hand to serve 160 guests, including technology CEOs Tim Cook of Apple, Demis Hassabis of Google DeepMind and Sam Altman of OpenAI.
Pascal Soriot, who heads drug-maker Astrazeneca — the most valuable company on the London Stock Exchange — was also in attendance.
In a nod to Mr Trump’s love of golf, English golfer Nick Faldo, winner of six major championships including three Masters’ titles, was also present.
The king sat next to Mr Trump at the centre of the table, under a ceiling adorned with the coat of arms of every Knight of the Garter since the order was founded in 1348.
Catherine, the Princess of Wales, was seated to the president’s right, while on the other side of the table, Queen Camilla sat next to Ms Trump and US Treasury chief Scott Bessent.
A place setting was also marked at the table for media mogul Rupert Murdoch, despite Mr Trump suing his publication The Wall Street Journal over its report on a sexually suggestive letter purportedly written by the US president for disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Mr Murdoch is also the owner of Fox News Channel, a Trump-friendly network from which the president has plucked people to staff his administration.
Each table place at the banquet was afforded several glasses of specialty wine, including a Wiston Estate Cuvee 2016, Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello 2000, Pol Roger Extra Cuvee de Reserve 1998, and Domaine Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne grand cru 2018.
A special cocktail, the Transatlantic Whisky Sour, was also created for the banquet.
It was designed as a twist on a whisky sour, made with Johnnie Walker Black, topped with a pecan foam and a toasted marshmallow and set on a star-shaped biscuit meant to evoke campfire s’mores.
The after-dinner menu included Warre’s 1945 vintage port, a nod to Mr Trump as the 45th president of the United States, Hennessy 1912 Cognac Grande Champagne — from the year Mr Trump’s mother was born — and Bowmore Queen’s Cask 1989, Islay, bottled for Queen Elizabeth’s Golden Jubilee in 2002.
The banquet menu was equally as divine, including a first course of Hampshire watercress panna cotta with parmesan shortbread and quail egg salad.
The second course was Norfolk chicken ballotine wrapped in courgettis, with a thyme and savoury infused jus, and dessert was a vanilla ice cream bombe with a Kentish raspberry sorbet interior and lightly poached Victoria plums.
As guests dined, the musical playlist for the event included the theme from James Bond but also staples from Mr Trump’s campaign rallies, including Elton John’s Tiny Dancer, the Rolling Stones’ You Can’t Always Get What You Want, and the operatic classics Nessun Dorma and Ave Maria.
In his toast to guests, King Charles marvelled at the shared history of the two nations and their strong relationship, which, 250 years ago at the time of America’s founding, would have been unimaginable to George Washington and King George.
“We celebrate a relationship between two countries that surely neither old George could possibly have imagined,” he said.
The king touched on Mr Trump’s British roots, his recent visits to the UK and, in a nod to the president’s favourite sport, said, “I understand that British soil makes for rather splendid golf courses”.
The monarch also celebrated the longstanding defence and security alliance between the US and Britain.
“In two world wars, we fought together to defeat the forces of tyranny,” he said.
“Today, as tyranny once again threatens Europe, we and our allies stand together in support of Ukraine.
“Our countries are working together in support of crucial diplomatic efforts, no least of which, Mr President, is your own personal commitment to finding solutions to some of the world’s most intractable conflicts, in order to secure peace.”
Moments later, Mr Trump joked that he hoped no other American president would be so honoured again.
“This is truly one of the highest honours of my life,” he said, reading from prepared remarks.
The president continued to describe being impressed at the king’s ability to know the names of about 150 people they shook hands with.
“And some of them had bad names like X,Y, Z, dash two-three,” Mr Trump said.
“And he knew every one of them. Or at least I think I did, because nobody was complaining.”
He also praised the king’s son, Prince William, as “remarkable” and “amazing” and the prince’s wife, Princess Kate, as “so radiant and so healthy, so beautiful.”
ABC/Wires